Message from the Editor: Honoring Our Roots, Meeting the Moment

How does being part of a living tradition show up in the world? As Unitarian Universalists, we belong to a dynamic and responsive faith that adapts and grows over time while being built upon a deep sense of history.

In this issue, we travel to Baltimore, Maryland, to a historic building that served as the site of William Ellery Channing’s seminal “Baltimore Sermon” of 1819, which defined the movement that in 1825—200 years ago this May—created the American Unitarian Association. (In 1961, it joined with the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.) This vibrant, diverse city is also home to this year’s UUA General Assembly, which will bring thousands of UUs to town to collaborate and continue the work of our faith. That timely union of past and present prompted us to ask local congregations: What are you proclaiming about Unitarian Universalism today? Their answers will move and inspire you about the ever-evolving future of our faith tradition.

Also in this issue, we visit UUs from California to Alabama who are living their Shared Values by putting love at the center, both within their congregations and in the wider community. And we check in on the vital work supported by the UUA, from the Climate Revival to UU the Vote.

Our magazine is built upon its own rich history: UU World descends from the Universalist Magazine, founded in 1819, and the Unitarian Christian Register, founded in 1821. And we have been undergoing an evolution of our own. Under the leadership of our digital editor, Maryann Batlle, we are bringing more timely stories and reflections to our free digital platform, uuworld.org. We have also launched the twice-monthly digital newsletter Wayfinder to help you connect with new UU World content as well as insights from staff, links to powerful work, and more. I hope you will use it to engage with UU World in a new and exciting way.

Just like other parts of our living tradition, we at UU World continue to honor our roots while meeting the moment of today’s changing world. I hope this issue will help you reflect on what being part of a living tradition means in your life.